Bellator: Dynamite to Include McGeary-Ortiz, One-Night Tourney, Glory Kickboxing

Ahead of Bellator 138, promotional President Scott Coker took the opportunity to announce its next “tent pole” event, and it is a big one. Speaking with the assembled media, Coker announced that Bellator would be returning to San Jose, California, for …

Ahead of Bellator 138, promotional President Scott Coker took the opportunity to announce its next “tent pole” event, and it is a big one. Speaking with the assembled media, Coker announced that Bellator would be returning to San Jose, California, for Bellator: Dynamite on September 19 to promote a hybrid MMA-kickboxing event alongside Glory Kickboxing.

The news was first leaked Thursday by MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani on Twitter and was confirmed by Bellator on Friday.   

While a cross-promotional event is quite the swerve all on its own, Coker dropped a few more bombs.

First, the event will be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between reigning champion Liam McGeary and MMA legend Tito Ortiz. McGeary won the title with an impressive showing opposite Emanuel Newton in February and has a huge opportunity to make himself a household name by beating the still-popular former UFC champ.

Second, the event will feature a handful of kickboxing bouts, courtesy of Glory World Series. While no bouts were announced, it was confirmed that crossover fighters Joe Schilling and Paul Daley would be stepping into the ring for Bellator: Dynamite, rather than the cage.

Finally, the event will also feature a one-night, four-man light heavyweight tournament. Participants include former Strikeforce champion “King” Mo Lawal, former Bellator champion Newton, former UFC light heavyweight Phil Davis and former Bellator title contender Linton Vassell. The semifinals will take place over two five-minute rounds, while the finals will be contested across three five-minute rounds. The bracket, according to Coker, has not been determined yet.

Needless to say, this is an absolutely huge event that features a number of Bellator’s biggest names. The event’s name is a fitting reference to the classic Japanese “Dynamite” year-end events, which featured kickboxing, MMA and mixed-rules fights involving promotions such as K-1, Dream, Hero’s and Sengoku. 

What say you, MMA fans? Do you like what is happening here or do you want to keep your MMA chocolate away from your kickboxing peanut butter?

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